Behind Closed Doors
by Damn.He.FLy
Summary: The Fire Nation is close to world domination, with the South Pole left unconquered. But when the chief's son is prisoner to the crown princess, they learn about each other in their own world, away from the war. Azula/Sokka.
1. Encounter

First time writing in a long time so any feedback would be appreciated ^_^

The story takes time to ramp up because I don't really want to rush this. Expect another chapter in two weeks probably.

By the way, this takes place in an AU where Aang wasn't found.

Cheers.

* * *

It was a cold day, colder than it usually was in the South Pole. The winds were strong too, rattling the tent he was in, as if to warn him of an impeding attack. But he didn't need the wind to tell him that. The guards at the outpost already did.

The Fire Nation fleet didn't need to employ any naval tactics. With their fleet of twenty-odd vessels, it is apparent that they intend to crush his tribe with sheer numbers.

But he knew that -to his tribe -numbers meant nothing. The warriors of the Southern Water Tribe would give them a battle, if that was what they wanted. But before all that ensued, they needed to keep the women and children safe. They needed to move deeper inwards.

And that was where Sokka found himself, packing his stuff with a mix of nostalgia and reluctance inside of him. The tent he grew up in was decorated in exquisite decorations of blue and white, all hunted by Father and the hunters he led into the wilderness almost every day and skinned and sewed together by the women of the tribe, which reflected the rich culture here in Southern Water Tribe. But among all the articles cramped in their tent, his favorite was the inconspicuous headband, hung on the center pillar of the tent.

He paused briefly as he reached for the headband that his Mother gave him when he was ten. She said he looked like a true warrior wearing it, and that thought made him leak a melancholic smile. In hindsight, it looked really tacky, with a pattern you would find on table cloth, but his younger self believed his mother nonetheless. Because he loved her so much.

So much that the day she died, he swore he would be the first to avenge her, no matter the costs.

At the thought of his promise, he stuffed the remainder of his essential belongings in his bag. He didn't want to waste anymore time moping. He needed to start taking action.

* * *

One of the uncountable inconveniences that plagued the South Pole that Azula simply could not tolerate was the spine-chilling cold. The temperature was so low that she had to consciously raise her body temperature with her bending. The fact that the vessel she was on was made entirely of metal made it even more unbearable; even with shoes on she could feel the cold seeping through her soles.

The cold, however, could not stop this from being a historical day.

Today, the Fire Nation would be victorious. With only the two Water Tribes on their last legs, all land would finally belong to the Fire Nation.

The thought of that made her twitch into a smirk. After all, she is the Crown Princess of the Fire Nation, which would make her the second most powerful person in the world. Or she would be if she were born a man.

Her smile soured when she remembered that there are still officials and nobles that did not want her to take over the throne, simply because they thought it to be shameful to serve under a woman. They were so repulsed by the idea that they even suggested for Father to rescind Zuko's banishment and let him be the successor to the throne.

 _Zu_ zu who was in every way inferior to her. That was how desperate they were.

But of course Father didn't allow it. He knew how capable she was and how her brother could not be any less capable. But Father had to appease the nobles nonetheless. And so he announced, in front of every politician and noble in the Fire Nation that Azula shall be wedded off and her husband shall be the Fire Lord. She didn't like how she was limited by her gender, but she trusted her father completely. After all, her father was her only family left.

Of course, Azula made sure that her partner was at the very least on par with her prowess in bending, which her father agreed on as well. Her father also made known that her groom would have to defeat her in an Agni Kai to prove his worth. And the people who challenged her...she honestly did not know whether to label them as brave souls or fools. Nobles have sent their sons expecting them to bring back a golden ticket to become Fire Lord, when they should have prayed their sons came back in one piece. It took twenty-seven challengers before people started to realize that she didn't hold back. And she hasn't gotten a Agni Kai challenge since.

Three knocks on her door snapped her out of her trance. "What is it?"

" _W-we are approaching the South Pole in three minutes, Princess._ "

It was about time. She was starting to get restless.

* * *

"The second group of warriors shall flank via the rear harbor. The winds favor our flank, so make good use of it..."

Sokka droned out his father's briefings after a while, like most of the warriors do. The men of the Southern Tribe have heard the plan for the fourth time in the past hour, and for Sokka's case, he's heard it a few times more. After all, he drafted the battle plans with his father. Right now, his mind is on his sister, the only waterbender left in the South. She was the tribe's priority, even more so his priority. As their father left frequently for hunting expeditions, the pair of siblings always had each other's backs. Though they bicker and fight, they never let each other out of sight. Until today that is. She didn't give him a heartfelt farewell like he thought. "We'd see each other soon anyways," she said.

But she didn't look so convincing with tears in her eyes.

"-with our dinghies leading the charge. Sokka! Are you listening?"

"Yeah, of course. The dinghies lead the charge and we board their vessels with the wind in our favor and fight close range with the flank as a distraction. Man, only a genius could think of this stuff!" The warriors let out a hearty chuckle, and even his father let out a proud smile, before defaulting to his battle-born expression as the laughter died down.

"Are you ready, men?"

The massive room erupted into battle roars that shook the whole tent, with some men beating on their chest. At this moment, he felt a huge sense of pride standing among these warriors, fighting or even dying alongside them. Putting on his wolf-shaped helmet and strapping on his trusty boomerang, he, too, put on his game face.

 _Bring it._

* * *

As Azula stepped into the command room, the room hushed and the air grew stiff. The generals stood rigidly around the large table in the center with the map of the South Pole spread over it. She walked over to her rightful place with her hands behind her back, glancing quickly to the map and then to the large window with a full view of the area of operations. "Are the assault boats in position?"

The generals glanced at one another, their revolting cowardice in full display on their faces. "T-the winds are too strong. They wouldn't be able to navigate their flimsy boats in this-"

"You fools! They've been navigating these waters for centuries. You think strong winds would stop them from using their boats?" Azula slammed her fists on the map so hard it made the markers jump (a few generals jumped too), cocking an irritated brow at them. "So, are you just going to stand there or are you going to fix it?"

One of the generals hastily beckoned an attendant to fix their blunder, while the generals sag their heads, some due to shame, others due to resentment. But Azula didn't care what they thought of her. Her sole objective here was to make sure that the South Pole was under the Fire Nation.

As she peered silently out the window at the distant South Pole, she saw fleets of small blue sails coming her direction and sighed. The generals wore their panic on their faces when they caught sight of the fleets too, and Azula could not help but palm her face. She turned and headed towards the exit of the command room with a brooding look, a face she makes only when she's given up all expectations of others. "Get those assault boats in position in five mintues."

"Where are you heading, Princess Azula?"

"If you fools can't get anything done..." Azula tightens her fists subconsciously as they burst into azure flames. "I'll do it myself."

* * *

As the dinghy Sokka was on closed in on the vessels, his heart started to race, though not quite sure due to anxiety or adrenaline. The vessels were taller than he envisioned, and even from a distance he could feel the heat exuding from the metallic behemoths. However, as predicted by the young brilliant strategist, the Fire Nation navy had expected them to wait by the shore and defend from there. Hence, their defenses were unprepared and their dinghies could close in with such ease. Besides, there were no waterbenders on their defense force, making it even more disadvantageous to fight from the shore with their lack of range.

Despite this, it took the Fire Nation barely minutes to start deploying their assault boats.

"Sokka, what do we do now?" The men on board were starting to get restless, or maybe it was just Sokka himself.

"We stick to the plan. Ready the arrows."

As the men got to work, Sokka begin to think of ways to get the warriors on the Fire Nation vessels, but realized he didn't have much time left. He would have to trust that these men would fight their heart out and that the spirits were on his side. Who knew that there would come a day when Sokka looked towards divine intervention.

"Aim for boat operators as much as possible." With a silent prayer, Sokka gave them the command, "Fire!"

The hundreds of arrows flew like hail and did little to damage the metallic boats, while only a few caught Fire Nation soldiers. Sokka knew that there was only one appropriate command left.

With all the gusto he had left, he yelled.

"CHAAARGE!"

With those words, the sails opened wide and rode the gusting winds, accelerating to incredible speeds such that the firebenders aboard the assault boats could not seem to hit them. The tribal warriors leaped from their dinghies onto the Fire Nation boats and slaughtered them like game on hunting season. Sokka had a full view of it; their hatred filled eyes as they swing their clubs and axes without remorse, cracking the skulls of the Fire Nation soldiers and sating their vengeance.

As much as hated to admit it, he didn't see himself in them.

The dinghies made incredible progress, with several assault boats hijacked by his men heading towards the vessels as well. Once within range, archers shot grappling arrows onto the vessels, and one by one the warriors rappelled up the ropes. The firebenders tried to burn the ropes, but Sokka had already instructed the men to wet the ropes beforehand. As the men started to pile on the ships, more and more guards started to appear from the bottom decks of the vessels. The men, however, did not stop fighting, even to their deaths.

One of the many among them, Sokka jumped onto the ship, only to find himself lost in the chaos. All he could do was dodge fireballs thrown by unknown sources and sidestepping from blood-frenzied tribal warriors.

That was when he saw her.

She emerged from a lower deck, with a poise that screamed elegance and arrogance simultaneously. One of his men charged at her with his cleaver, letting out a battle cry. But the cry was cut short as she shot lightning from her fingertips, piercing straight through his heart. She didn't even bat an eyelid and the deafening thunder nor the gore that she created. Instead, she let out an insidious grin.

There was no doubt in his mind. This was the infamous Crown Princess herself.

It didn't take him a second to recognize that she needed to be eliminated. Fast.

* * *

There's nothing quite as exhilarating as driving a bolt of lightning through a vermin's chest. That sweet crackle never made her felt more alive.

As she scanned the floor for any more savages to exterminate, she spotted a Water Tribe boy wearing a gaudy wolf's head. He stuck out the same way a ferret would stick out in a grassfield, avoiding any conflict while skirting the ship's perimeter. Initially, it appeared as if he was simply an inexperienced warrior in his first war, but his expression said otherwise. The boy wore this look of intense concentration, deep in thought and focus.

He wasn't a coward; he was a sly one. And from her experience with politicians, those are the worst to deal with.

She took her gaze off the boy to focus on the savages charging her way. These sacks of muscles charged at her mindlessly, roaring in the process to take away whatever element of surprise they had. With ease, she ducked under the swing of their clubs, throwing her azure flames into their faces. She didn't intend to drive them away. She intended to burn them into ashes. And she didn't intend to stop there.

 _Whoosh_.

She only had a fraction of a second to roll to the side, but even then, she felt herself being grazed on the side of the neck. As a knee-jerk reaction, she threw a ball of fire in the general direction of the projectile while diving for better cover, using her momentary respite to curse herself.

She slipped up. For the first time in a long time.

Peeking from her cover, she saw the boy from earlier skirting the perimeter, picking her soldiers off with his boomerang. The boy seemed to be scanning the area, looking intently for his target. Looking intently for her. The boy was smart enough to have realized she was the largest threat, yet not smart enough to realize that in this game of cat and mouse, she's always the cat.

Taking advantage of the confusion, she made a beeline for the boy, while relentlessly slinging fireballs at him. His eyes widened at the sudden assault, but he did well to sidestep all her attacks. However, instead of standing his ground like a warrior, he ran with his tail between his legs, ducking and weaving through balls of fire. As he ran into the lower decks, he left behind him a canister which spewed smoke, a tactic she had seen from Mai before. The trick was to hide in the smoke and attack when the chaser ran through the smoke. A good attempt, but he'd need a better strategy than that.

With a strong jab, she spewed flames from her fist before she smelled it. Sulfur.

Without a second thought, she took cover as the smoke exploded, the reverberating boom causing her ears to ring. Once again, Azula let out an unladylike curse. Twice she slipped up now, and she was getting irritated.

And no one lived long after ticking her off.

* * *

Sokka would be lying if he said he wasn't close to crapping in his pants.

Since young, he dreamt of fighting for this cause, and yet when given the chance, all he could do was hit and run. The bloodshed and the gore...he just wasn't ready for it. Though, at the very least, he'd managed to catch the princess off guard twice.

But on the other hand, she seemed pretty damn pissed.

Speaking off the princess, he couldn't help but shudder. That women had burnt and bore holes through his comrades as if it was her pastime. And he was a mere inch away from those nasty blue flames a moment ago. Despite this, he had a mission to accomplish. At least with the princess on his tail, lesser of his comrades will die by her hands. And if he's lucky, he wouldn't too.

He knew his luck ran out when he heard footsteps clanking on the metallic floor. " _Come out, come out wherever you are_."

Her conceited yet furious tone sent shivers down his spine as he tiptoed around the lower decks. The rooms all looked the same - metallic rooms with metallic doors and metallic walls. _Sheesh, someone needs to call the interior design police._

Despite that, he used the interior to his advantage, listening to the clanking of footsteps and any chatter that traveled through the walls. Following the noise, he found himself in front of a larger door, holding incoherent chatter behind it. Sokka wasn't the type to eavesdrop though, but he could use some information for now.

Who was he kidding? He _loved_ eavesdropping.

As he pressed his ear against the door, the chatter started to sound like words. "We're taking too many casualties! We need to retreat."

"Retreat? The Fire Nation never retreats! Besides, their sacrifices will be worth it. They won't be able to hold us all back."

"Gentlemen, _relax._ If anything goes south, we'll be able to pin it on her, remember?"

Sokka couldn't help but grimace. Fire Nation scum were terrible even to their own people.

"Heard enough yet?" Sokka turned slowly to see the princess standing right behind him, a vicious smile trying but failing to conceal her murderous intent. He assessed his surroundings only to find himself confined to a narrow corridor. Reaching into his almost-empty sack of tricks made him lose even more hope. "I've grown tired of playing catch with you. How about we play...something else?"

"I'm honored, princess. How about we play something less violent...like Pai Sho? I think we'd have more fun then you'd-"

His sentence was cut shot by a flurry of burning whips that Sokka barely jumped over. Instead of running straight at the princess, he opted for the large door behind him. Turns out he had just stumbled on the command room, and that those debating one another were generals. They didn't seem to be skilled fighters themselves though, cowering behind their guards.

As much as he hated it, he was cornered and had to fight.

One guard swung his halberd overhead at him, only for Sokka to roll towards its side, lodging his own weapon into his shin. As he fell, Sokka retracted his boomerang, implanting it into the guard's skull. Another guard stood his ground and put up a defensive stance, but his reflexes weren't quick enough to stop the boomerang from flying straight into his face. Without any pause, Sokka sprinted towards his boomerang, retrieving it from the guard's face, forming a defensive stance against the rest of the room. A quick survey around the room told him that there were not many threats left in the room.

Until the command room was suddenly flooded with guards, that is.

Sokka thought of grabbing a hostage, but the generals had already scampered behind their guards. If he were a simple Water Tribe warrior, he would take one of them to the grave. But he didn't want to die like this. Not yet.

The guards parted to let the princess pass through, and as she walked, she clapped. Whether genuinely impressed or mockingly, he didn't know. " _Bravo_ , you fought your way into a corner with no escape."

"Hold on...there must be a better way to do this...Let's settle this honorably! One on one!"

The princess cocked an eyebrow, and he felt like he was onto something. "You challenge _me_ to an Agni Kai?"

"Um..yes, of course!" Sokka raised his boomerang, pointing it straight at her, pulling gusto out of thin air. "I, Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe challenge you to an Angry Tie!"

He didn't know what he just challenged the princess to, but by the sound of the princess' sinister chuckle, he wasn't as confident anymore.

* * *

She took it back. This boy was a fool.

He had seen her bending prowess, so how on earth did he think he'd win, she didn't know. Despite her vastly superior skills, she already slipped up against him twice - who knew what else he had under his sleeves? Despite her suspicions, he couldn't turn him down. He'd challenge her in front of all the other generals. Besides, she'd never back down from an Agni Kai. After all, she's never lost. And she never will.

With a confident stride, she walked over to the large table and knocked it over to the side with a swift kick, opening up the area. "I accept."

As much as she'd like to keep up her imposing demeanor, she wouldn't risk it, not with her pride on the line. She moved gracefully into her fighting stance, shedding all signs of conceit. Her challenger felt her shift in the mood too, emulating her and adopting his own fighting stance.

"Before we begin, mind explaining the rules?"

Azula shot a bolt of lightning in his direction, as he barely avoided it with a clumsy tumble.

"Whoever lives, wins."

She followed up with one-two jab and a hip kick, sending a flurry of flames the boy's way, but none connected as the boy used the overturned table as cover. "Is running and hiding all you do?"

The boy didn't reply, nor did he move from his cover. Taking a moment to channel her energy, she produced a stream of fire, heating the metal table in an attempt to force the boy out of his cover. In retaliation, the boy kicked the table as it slid towards her. Leaping over the table, she transitioned into a drop kick, which the boy managed to tumble away from. As Azula was prepping to throw another ball of fire, the boy took the chance to throw a canister is smoke at her, identical to the one before. Even though she kicked it away as quickly as she could, the smoke was thick enough to fill the whole room.

Apparently, he wasn't just a fool. He was also suicidal.

The boy grinned at her hesitation, but only for a brief moment before throwing his boomerang straight at her. With a backflip, she dodged the boomerang, but the boy didn't stop there. He charged at her with only a buckler, and for the first time she could remember, Azula was stunned.

She shuffled backwards, fighting the urge not to conjure any flames, instead intending to use her arm braces to block an incoming punch or kick. But instead of a strike, the boy grabbed her wrist, locking her securely in place, his strength overpowering hers almost effortlessly.

 _Whoosh._

There was not a warning before she felt the boomerang lodge into the back of her shoulder, the sharp, excruciating pain spreading from the gash almost instantly, sapping away the energy from her legs. As she fell onto the floor unceremoniously, her mind started to go blank.

She didn't understand why. All her life, she went undefeated only to lose at the hands of an amateur.

Before her mind could process what had happened, Azula's last thoughts slept away. She would have some serious reflection to do when she woke up.

 _If_ she woke up.

* * *

The pride and accomplishment hit him first, but not shortly after came the pang of guilt. The sight of violence and gore inflicted on another person was revolting to him, no matter the reason. Honestly, he felt disgusted that he was able to attack a girl without holding back, even if said girl was the princess of the Fire Nation.

His motivation hadn't been vengeance or glory. He did what he did to survive.

As he tore his eyes painfully from the princess lifeless features, he realised that the guards and generals hadn't let down their guard despite their astonishment. Some of them even seem plesantly surprised.

"What are you waiting for? End the Agni Kai!" One of the general shouted behind the safety of his guards. Some roared in agreement while others remained solemn, perhaps in guilt.

"She's out cold, I've pretty much won-"

"The princess has already gave the conditions of victory. If you do not oblige..." The haughty general signal to his guards and they form a human barricade, sealing off the only exit. "...you will not be allowed to leave."

Sokka always knew that the Fire Nation was infested with scum, but he never imagined it was to this degree. He glanced at the princess as she laid motionless in a growing puddle of blood. At this rate, he wouldn't have to execute the princess - she would bleed to death instead.

He never had been the bloodthirsty warrior that his comrades were, that his father wanted him to be, or the tribe needed him to be. He knew how selfish it was for him to show his enemies mercy. After all, they took his mother from him. It wasn't fair to Mom.

But his mother didn't raise him to be a murderer. He was raised to be a man. And a man stands by his principles.

 _Ugh screw it!_

Despite his better judgement, he removed his boomerang from the princess's shoulder, cringing at the squelching sound it made. Ripping off his sleeve, he used it to compress the wound, trying his best to stop the wound from spilling any more blood. The wound that he opened.

"What are you doing?!" The general's confusion reflected his own.

"I don't even know anymore." Continuing to apply pressure to the wound, he tied a strong knot on the ends of his blood-drenched sleeve. Her face was turning white as a sheet and her pulse was slowing down. He was no medical expert, but she needed treatment. Fast. "She needs to get treatment-"

"It's dishonorable to withdraw from an Agni-"

"Screw your honor! She's bleeding out! Are you seriously going to let a girl die?"

The general looked at him almost apathetically, as if he letting someone die was supposed to be... difficult. Subconsciously, he reached for his boomerang. Even though he hid behind his guards, Sokka had an itch to chuck his boomerang at the general and try his luck. Instead, he opted to focus his efforts of the princess. He delicately lifted her off the ground, determined to get her to treatment, but as he stood up, the guards raised their weapons. _Does anyone in this room have a heart?_

His heart skipped a beat when the door swung forcefully open.

"Out of the way! Now!" Calvary in crimson armor burst through the door, storming in and shoving guards aside. These men dressed differently from the other guards, radiating an imposing aura. He didn't know who they were, but he really hoped they weren't reinforcements. As if he could get out of there alive in the first place.

Their presumed leader, who wore much more decorated armor and muscle, appeared the most concerned out of all of them, his features falling when he saw the bloodied princess in Sokka's arms. The large man rushed to her side, prying her from his arms. For a moment, he didn't want to let go, afraid of losing his only leverage on the Fire Nation army, but let go anyways. At least he looked like someone who the princess needed at this moment.

His reward for handing the princess over was a thrust kick to his chest. As expected, the muscled man's kick packed quite a punch, sending him stumbling backwards by a few feet. Without so much as a thank you, the man turned and hurried the princess out of his sight, with his squad surrounding Sokka with a weapon in hand. "Seriously? No "thank you"?"

"You dare expect gratitude when you are the one that did this to the princess?!"

 _Oh right._

As much as Sokka wanted to rebut, he had nothing. Now that he's lost his leverage, there's no chance of him getting away. No tricks in his bag. No energy left in his bones. Nothing.

Sokka tossed his boomerang aside, dropping to his knees. He's disgraced his tribe, his family. His mother. He wondered whether he should've killed the princess when they gave him the chance. Whether he should fight to death against everyone else in the room. Whether it would make his fate less painful. Whether it would be worth it.

One of the guards probably decided that he was thinking too much, and Sokka blacked out when a hilt met his face.

* * *

Azula jolted up and pushed herself into an upright position, because she knew she wasn't supposed to be sleeping. Fortunately, she found herself in her exquisite private quarters. Back on Fire Nation soil.

Not so fortunately, she couldn't feel her right arm.

She scowled when she saw her shoulder wrapped in bandages as well as a plaster on her neck, reminding her of what happened at the South Pole. How she let herself lose to a peasant boy from the Water Tribe in an Agni Kai.

The princess picked up a nearby object - probably a vase - and threw it against the wall in frustration. It ticked her off even more that she couldn't even throw it straight with her left arm.

The shatter must have alerted the guards, as she heard hurried footsteps not long after. The door opened to the sight of a familiar face, that couldn't help but make her frown unenthusiastically. " _Good morning,_ Yin," she greeted with stoical lack of energy.

The burly man bowed respectfully, his body language riddled with unnecessary concern. Of course, General Yin would be the first person she would see. Knowing him, Yin would blame himself over her injury. After all, he was the _proud_ leader of her elite entourage. But she couldn't blame him, since she was the one who dispatched him to aid the battle. She didn't need a bodyguard; her skills were sufficient to deal with any threat. _Except one_ , she corrected herself.

"It's the evening, but I'm glad to see you awake, Princess Azula. If you'd like, I could-"

"No need to be worrywart. Just stop looking at me with that puppy face of yours. It's starting to annoy me." Despite her order, Yin did not look any less worried. Since Yin was handpicked by her, he had given her his unwavering loyalty, something that occasionally creeped her out. "Tell me Yin, what happened?"

Yin kept his head low, his hesitance to speak apparent. Which was odd because he'd never hide anything from her. Probably. "The Water Tribe boy... He... kept you alive."

As if she had a reaction to the words "Water Tribe boy", she flinched. It wasn't that Azula was unaware; everyone in the room wanted her dead. The guards she mistreated, the generals who threatened their power and patriarchy, and especially the boy. Was she mocking him? "Where is this...boy?"

The irritation within her leaked into her words, and Yin must have picked it up. "H-he's locked up in the Boiling Rock...as of now."

With that reassurance, Azula laid back down on her enormous four-post bed. As counter-intuitive as it sounds, she was relieved that the source of her frustrations was alive.

It would ease her frustrations to know that the boy would suffer a fate worse than death.

"Bring him to me." Her lips could not help but curl.


	2. Score

I wrote this on my phone since I couldn't access my computer, so there may be some formatting issues (italics, spacing, etc.). I'll fix it within a few days.

Other than that, please keep reviewing critically so I improve (hopefully). Expect a chapter in a month(?).

Cheers.

* * *

The first day was but a foggy memory.

He woke up in his cell, with only a little slit on the door serving as a window to let light in. He knew he was on Fire Nation soil as his clothes were soaked in sweat and the metal walls were the same shade of dull grey. He spent somewhere between an hour to a day lying in his cell, feeling neither the need nor the mood to do anything else.

His cell door only opened when it was time to eat at the mess. He had considered not leaving and lazing in his cell instead. Sure, he was hungry, but he didn't have the appetite to match his hunger. He decides against it and goes to the mess anyways.

Instant regret hit him as he saw the gruel that they were serving, but he ate it anyways.

That night, he thought of his family and wondered whether the Southern Water Tribe was still intact. He didn't get more than an hour of sleep.

The second day was a bit more eventful.

One guard decided to taunt him, and when Sokka remained quiet, the guards decided to rough him up. He ended up with a bruised abdomen and a swollen cheek, which he considered lucky. Most of the prisoners in here seem to have it worse.

When he was walking to the mess during mealtime, he saw someone from his tribe there too. But the moment their gazes met, the middle-aged man wolfed down his food and scurried off. Perhaps he was guilty of becoming a prisoner of war instead of dying in battle like a true warrior. Maybe Sokka should have felt the same way too.

He didn't get to sleep that night either. The agonizing screams from the cell beside him kept him awake.

Sokka didn't bother to keep track of the time anymore after that day. It was starting to be painfully futile.

The guard woke him up this time, often a sign that the day would not end well. But as the door swung open, he was surprised to see that he had a guest. It took a while for his guest's face to register, but Sokka had only ever seen so few men with that gargantuan build. The man that kicked him in the chest back on the vessel. The one that carried the princess away.

"You are Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, correct?" The man looked at Sokka's lazy form with that chiselled face of his, with no expression whatsoever. Sokka continued to lay on his bed motionlessly, wordlessly. He wondered where his sarcasm and witty responses went. Perhaps he left it back on the South Pole.

"My name is General Yin, head of the Crown Princess' Royal Guard Battalion." Sokka couldn't help but raise a brow. It has been a long time since he heard a mention of the Crown Princess.

"How is she?" Sokka couldn't help but blurt, and the general broke his solemn, battle-worn features to show his surprise.

"She is…recovering well. Your concern is appreciated." The general had been exceptionally courteous to him, something he was not quite used to in this place. "In fact, my visit today is regarding Princess Azula."

The general beckoned the guard to leave them alone; the loud clank of the metallic doors behind him leaving the two of them alone in the cramped cell. Yin didn't seem to consider Sokka as a threat. Perhaps he had trusted Sokka, perhaps he had looked down on Sokka. Either way, Sokka couldn't care; he had enough on his mind.

"What does the princess want with me?" Sokka's voice sounded much hoarser than he thought it would.

"The princess wishes for you to be transferred to her private quarters. Your transfer has already been scheduled. But that is not the purpose of my visit." It seems like the princess was not done with him yet, but to Sokka, it did not make a difference. No matter which prison he was in, he was just another coward that hadn't fought to his death.

"Then why are you here?"

Yin mellowed his facial features, similar to when he found the princess in her bloodied mess. "I want to know why exactly you saved the princess."

That was the question Sokka had often asked himself in his sleepless nights, and he had always given himself the same answer. "I couldn't bring myself to kill a woman. I was weak."

Sokka buried his face in his hands. Saying it out loud made it all too real for him.

Not long after the brief silence, Sokka heard the door open, indicating to him that General Yin was leaving. "Perhaps it wasn't weakness, but conviction that caused you to make that decision."

Before Sokka could lift his face out of his palms, his cell door had shut with a resounding clank.

* * *

Azula was never slacking off. People attributed her bending prowess to pure talent. But what they failed to see was her dedication.

Everywhere Azula when, she brought along her personal dietitian and chef to make sure that she receives all the nutrients needed to maximize her training. No more, no less. She also religiously follows her exercise regime, never slacking on form or intensity. The contents of the exercise regime was handcrafted by Azula herself, after studying the most elite battalions and their training regimes, with the aim of bringing out nothing less than perfection for her conditioning.

She had no interest in achieving a slim waistline or plastering thick layers of makeup on her face. Azula was much too busy en route to being the strongest firebender in the world.

But it all came to an abrupt halt when a certain boy chucked his boomerang into her shoulder. Her diet was all jumbled up now that she had to take the supplements prescribed by her physician. Worst of all, she wasn't allowed any exercise at all. Direct orders from her father, who wanted her healthy as soon as possible.

So instead, she found herself confined to her bed, staring aimlessly at her four walls. It only took half an hour for Azula to feel the boredom creeping under her skin. "Guards!"

Azula counted seven seconds before an attendant knocked on the door.

"Y-yes, Princess?"

"Bring me Ty Lee and Mai. You have half an hour."

"M-my apologies, Princess. Lady Mai is on a diplomatic trip with her family and Lady Ty Lee is currently on a circus tour. They will not be back for a few months." The princess resisted the urge to throw another decorative piece in this room. She wonders why the attendants bother to replace them anyways. Instead, Azula slouched back into the comfort of her bed, thinking desperately for something to occupy her time.

This is usually when Azula defaults to her most frequent pastime recently: reviewing the Agni Kai in her head. The first lightning bolt was accurate, but the windup was too slow, and her footwork wasn't sharp enough. The flurry of fireballs that followed were powerful, but she felt as if she was rushing it, hence their spread made it too easy to dodge. The drop kick, however, was sloppy and totally predictable, which gave the boy time to take out his canister. Would she have conjured fire quick enough to stop the boy from throwing his canister? She would never know.

What was most embarrassing was the sequence that came after. As the boy attacked her at close range, she panicked. There was so many non-firebending counters that she could have executed there: a tumble into a sweep, or perhaps even a judo flip. Yet she did absolutely none of that.

That boy... he got lucky, that's all.

There was also the question of what she should do when the boy arrived. How would she torture him? How would she regain her honor? She realized that torturing him would simply make her seem petty. Azula needed to defeat him. She needed to crush him no matter what toys he had on him. And then he would beg for his life, like all the others have. And he would belong to her.

His _loyalty_ would belong to her, she meant.

As if on cue, she heard a strong knock on the door that shook the walls, which no doubt belonged to Yin. "Yes, Yin. Have you brought the boy?"

"Yes, Princess Azula. He has been transferred to the cellar near the palace."

"Good. You have five minutes to prepare the carriage."

* * *

This new cell was a bit more comfortable. The walls were made of limestone bricks instead of metal, which made the cell feel less like a furnace. The space was significantly larger too; he even had the space to workout, which he had considered doing with his loads of time here. It was almost starting to feel like home.

Who was he kidding? He was still stuck in a cell like some stupid pet.

He had been here for a few hours now and about a few minutes into his half-hearted exercise session before his mind started to wander to his fate, and whether he'd be anything more than a god-forsaken prisoner. Perhaps he'd have the chance to escape some day, but it wouldn't be any time soon.

He had to face it; Sokka was nothing without his boomerang and bag of science experiments.

Knocks on the door attracted his attention, along with his confusion. _When did the guards ever knock?_

The metal door was pushed open slowly and he realized that it was General Yin, the only person he'd expect to knock. His intended greeting for Yin got stuck in his throat when Yin stepped aside to reveal the pale girl behind him. That sinister smirk of hers made Sokka instinctively reach for his non-existent bag of gadgets and weapon, but he sagged when he saw the bandages hidden beneath her robes.

"No need to be so jumpy, peasant boy. I'm simply here for a visit."

" _Yeah_ , and I'm on vacation in my beach resort right now." Sokka dropped his stance and sat on the floor, no longer as pumped for a workout anymore. For some odd reason, she didn't seem to scare him that much anymore. But that didn't mean he wasn't wary of her. Her craftiness was a large part of her infamy too. "Why did you bring me here anyways?"

The princess' lips curled sharply. "I've brought you here for a proper Agni Kai. Since you so audaciously cheated in the previous one. After I recover, of course."

"I didn't know the Crown Princess was such a sore loser." Sokka shrugged his shoulders, his smugness oozing at the seams.

"Maybe you savages rely on toys and tricks to win your opponents, but over here we fight fair and square." Admittedly, Sokka quite enjoyed it when the princess was visibly at the edge of composure.

"Fine, then how about you don't use bending next time?"

"Why not? Don't blame me on your inferior genetic construction." The princess grinned in a way that hit him in all the wrong ways.

"Then don't blame me if you can't fight without your firebending."

"You do realise that I am in control of your fate, do you?"

"So you're going to torture me before challenging me to a duel? So much for honor."

The princess fumed and whirled around, her chin raised high and her footsteps light but imposing. He could feel her radiating anger, but it didn't shake him. Conversely, he had a beaming sense of pride, the same pride he had when he won the duel, but without the guilt. As the door shut behind her, he wondered whether all duels could be won with his sarcasm instead of violence.

He highly doubted it.

The moment the princess retreated into her private quarters, she picked up the nearest vase and threw it across the room. The disrespect she had just be shown... she could not take it lying down. The sarcasm dripping from the tip his tongue was stuck in her head, and his smug voice echoed within her. She couldn't even chuck fire at him as she needed him uninjured, which usually did the trick on others. Why wasn't he afraid of her?

Even though he had every reason to be.

She spent a good portion of her afternoon pacing back and forth in her room, deep in thought of how to approach the boy the next time she would visit. The next time they met, she would be the one that left him irritated.

 _Azula zero; peasant boy one._

After a good hour of futile pondering, Azula was interrupted by a soft knock on the door.

"What?!" She didn't mean to snap, but neither was she apologetic about it.

"The Fire Lord has invited you to dine with him this evening. Would you like to-"

"Of course I would dine with my father!" Azula was lifted from her moodiness at the thought dining with Father. She always found it endearing when Father took out the time from his hectic schedule to dine with her. It was much more enjoyable than dining alone or with other snobby nobles that looked at her with either fear or motives in their eyes. Father was always thinking for her. "Get me my best gown. I want to see it in five minutes."

The hurried footsteps slowly faded away, just like her thoughts about the boy. She would have to focus on making herself presentable in front of Father. It was a rare, joyous occasion after all.

* * *

A drip of his sweat fell from his chin, forming a little dark patch on the brick flooring. Sokka squinted at it and started to count the seconds. _Thirty-four...thirty-five...thirty-six..._

Thirty-seven seconds was how long it took for a drop of sweat to completely evaporate from the ground. It was thirty-three a few moments ago, so perhaps it was getting less and less warmer.

Sokka was once again reminded of how bored he was. All he could was exercise, eat and sleep, occasionally taking an unsanitary dump. Sometimes he keeps tracks of when the guards change shifts, recognizes the guards by their voices, even giving them their own personal codenames. Once in a while, they give him some possibly relevant information such as politics among Fire Nation royalty, but most of the time they chatter about Squeaky's due debts of copious amounts of gold or Croaky's "heavenly" voluptuous wife and what they would do to her given one night.

But of course, it's not as if Sokka wanted to listen. They were talking so loudly after all, as if they were begging to be eavesdropped on.

His mind once against drifted to his tribe, more specifically his father. His heart ached to know how the tribe was doing, and he was very tempted to ask a guard about his tribe even if the chance that they would answer truthfully were almost nonexistent. But his father had already warned him the night before the battle to never show his vulnerable side to the enemy. They will use your insecurities, feed you false information to try and break you down. Despite his father's sensible words, the urge to beg for an answer grows stronger everyday. He needed validation that they were safe.

He needed it because it gave him an excuse to stay alive.

A small rumble indicated that the guards were making their rounds in his sector of the prison, and Sokka's ears twitched in curiosity. As soundlessly as possible, Sokka pressed himself against his bars, slowing his breathing to hear their conversation as clearly as possible. He hoped that he would hear something useful, but didn't expect much.

"...and the princess was like wham and the guy had a hole in his chest. That's sick, dude." Squeaky had hints of awe and terror in his voice.

"But she's a girl, for goodness' sake! So much talent wasted on her, man...and I'd rather die than call a woman Fire Lord!" Grumpy sounded...well, grumpy, but more so than usual.

The echo of their chatter faded incoherently, and the hallway was once again silent, leaving Sokka to his own thoughts. He was reminded of the incident on the ship, the hateful scorn of the generals and soldiers etched deeply in his mind. He thought her out to be a monster, but he couldn't help but pity her. After all, when she laid in her own pool of blood, she couldn't have looked any more vulnerable.

He wondered what it'd be like to be one of the strongest firebender in the world, and what good he could do with it. The glory wouldn't hurt as well. He stopped short of his fantasies when he recalled the conversations between the generals, and the comments from the guards. It doesn't help that she's a women and that she has a bratty attitude, but there seems to be loads of people trying to bring her down, due to envy or resentment. The price to pay to be one of the best seemed too costly in his opinion. The stress is simply too much for one girl to handle, especially for one as seemingly lonely as she is.

Showing sympathy for the enemy may not be the smartest course of action, but Sokka couldn't help it.

Sympathize all he wanted, he wouldn't have the chance to do so once she's all healed up and ready throw fireballs again.

* * *

The clinks of porcelain cutlery against one another filled the stiffening silence. No doubt, Azula was glad to be in her father's presence, but the anxiety was suffocating. Every discomfort became much more unbearable - Azula shuffled uncomfortably in her bedazzled dress, chewing on her rubbery steak till her jaw was sore.

Her father had been awfully quiet, only interjecting the silence with courteous questions on her recovery. She could not tell what was on her father's mind, despite him being her closest kin, something that Azula was ashamed of. Whatever the reason for her father's brooding, Azula decided that she would be the one to lift his spirits. "How were the plans for the South Pole coming along, Father? I have studied them and found them rather inefficient. If you would allow me, I could make some-"

"No, Azula, I won't be discussing work matters with you until you completely recover, as much as I would appreciate it. I've insisted that you focus on your recovery." Father gently laid down his cutlery, taking a long blink and finding the words for his next sentence. "Have you found anyone that you are interested in? You are of marrying age. Normally I'd choose your husband for you, but I trust your judgement, Azula."

Azula felt herself tense up at the word "husband". She had a hunch that her father would bring this up, yet she hadn't thought of a response for him. No matter what her reply was, she knew her father would be left disappointed. "N-not yet, Father."

"Of course. It's no easy task to match up to someone as outstanding as you, Azula. But I urge you to reconsider some of the noble's sons. They may not be as proficient as you at bending, but they have connections that we would really... appreciate." As delicately as her father may try to put it, Azula knew.

Her hand in marriage was a valuable tool for her father to secure relations with the nobles. Though she had no interest in boys, she couldn't help but feel neglected. She knew she was being selfish. She just didn't know why she felt this way now. "I understand, Father. But you have already announced that my husband would have to beat me in an Agni Kai, and these nobles-"

"All these can be arranged beforehand, of course."

Azula was taken aback by his words, even more so as it came from her father's mouth. Her bending prowess was her pride, something she had dedicated her life to perfecting. And yet her father is asking her to dirty her reputation by losing to an inferior bender. "F-father... I cannot allow myself to do that. I have my honor to preserve-"

Father shot from his seat, slamming a fist on the table, its thud echoing around the enormous room imposingly. "You speak as if you haven't already lost it! I've heard about your Agni Kai with the Water Tribe warrior, so don't you mention honor to me!"

Azula felt herself subconsciously gripping the table in agitation, unable to find the words for her defense. Because she didn't have any rights to a rebuttal anyways. Her father simply took a few more seconds to look down at her pathetic form before softening his harsh demeanour. "Perhaps you should reconsider my proposition, for the sake of our nation."

Those were his final words before he left for the door behind him, reinstating the stiffening silence.

As much as Azula wanted to, she didn't ask him to stay. The look in his eyes had shown it all. She had lost his respect, the only form of recognition she wanted. Hot tears welled up in her eyes, but she willed them not to fall.

She didn't want to be any more like Mother or Zuzu. She didn't want to show anymore of her weakness.

Without a second thought, she left the room herself, heading straight towards the prison cell.

To vent her insatiable callous anger.

* * *

Tightening his grip on the bars above him, he swore not to let go. _Just... one more..._

He pumped all his gusto into his right arm for the final chin-up, feeling his veins stretch the skin on his arm. Once he felt the cool metal touch his chin, he dropped from the floor, landing unceremoniously to the floor, releasing a proud sigh.

The howl of the wind let him know that it was night. He forgot how long he'd been in the cell, but he hadn't bothered himself. It would probably be more painful if he knew. At least the air was cooler at this time of the day.

Sleep didn't seem to come to him easy as a prisoner, but neither did he need much in his cell. Recently, he often wondered what the princess had in store for him. She seemed hellbent on regaining her "honour" that he would probably be in no major harm for a while. _Probably._

On the other hand, he yearned to know the fate of his family. He could feel the fear in his veins, and he didn't know what he would do if he knew they didn't make it. Whether he would have the will to live.

Every time he thinks about them, a painful pang of guilt hits him. It hurt so much that he dropped to his bum, slumping on the rough brick wall. He tried to pick up the rags they gave him as a shirt to wipe his sweat, but his arm didn't feel like moving. Nausea and headaches hit him all at the same time as his mind continued to conceive the inhumane things they would do to Katara and his father. Despite this, he used whatever will he had left to keep himself together, determined not to regurgitate whatever little food he ate just now. With a grunt, he got up and did some stretching, something his body needed desperately.

His stretching was cut short when he heard angry stomps getting closer to his cell. He knew the metal door was going to open, but the loud burst startled him anyways. What was even more startling was the fact that it was the princess dressed to the nines. She looked as if she was going to attend a ball, if not for the fact that her face was contorted into the definition of raging hatred. Without so much as a word, she flung fire at him wildly, with Sokka barely tumbling away from the flames, still recovering from fatigue. Her wits seemed to have escaped from her, as her movements lacked the grace and poise from before. "Whoa! Hey! What happened to "fair and square"?"

She took a moment to take heavy breathes, but did not extinguish the flames in her palms. "What's the point? I should have killed you earlier!"

"Wait! What the hell happened?"

"I don't have to tell you anything!"

"And chucking fire at me is going to solve your problem? Seriously, you need to calm down! Maybe I can help!"

Her fireball was about to be flung at his face before she stopped short. "What can you possibly do to help me?"

"Umm... I can provide a listening ear...?" He did his best to look sincere, but he could only crack a forced smile instead.

The princess gave him a scrutinising gaze, making Sokka sweat a few more beads of sweat then usual.

"Well, you are full of stupid tricks and foul play. I'll see what you can come up with."

Sokka didn't know whether to be relieved or insulted, but he settled for the former. The princess then started pacing back and forth on the opposite side of the bars, a menacing grimace plastered on her face. "If you turn out to be useless..."

She didn't need to finish the sentence. "Sure..."

"I need a way to make my father believe that I didn't lose to you on that ship. Those scumbags that call themselves generals already ratted on me... Perhaps I should have them assassinated..." Sokka was starting to see the reason for the princess' distress. Perhaps she felt that her father's faith in her was slipping. Something Sokka related too much with.

"I mean, that makes you more suspicious, wouldn't it? Sokka blurted without regard for who he was helping. After all, he's drawn to the princess plight, no matter how ruthless she was to his tribe. "Maybe you could do some research and uncover something that makes them less credible? They didn't seem like goodie-two-shoes anyways."

"So I should frame them? Yes... that's it..."

"Actually that's not-"

"Embezzlement of the nation fund, affairs and treason... I'll spread the fabricated evidence to the people and nobles and destroy their reputation. A fate worse than death..." Though sour before, the princess' mood was now much better, yet somehow scarier. "I seemed to have underestimated you. Your lack of honour is quite impressive."

"Thanks- I mean, hey! That's not what I meant!"

"Oh, don't act like you're so righteous! The both of us are the same, we'd do anything to survive." She paced up to his cell, with only metal bars left between them. "The difference is I'm much stronger."

 _We'd do anything to survive._

Those words rung in his head. The truth of those words hit him hard, to the point that his rebuttal fizzled out. All he could do was look at the princess with his dangling jaw, and the princess gave him her best conceited smirk in response.

The princess twirled around and headed for the door in a better mood than before, a newfound spring in her step. "Don't worry, I won't destroy you yet. After all, you're unexpectedly useful. Catch you around, _peasant_."

With those parting words, the door shut tight, leaving him in the eerie silence. This time he felt defeated. Perhaps she was alluding to his guilty conscience, perhaps not. Either way, her words were eating him from the inside, and Sokka couldn't do a thing about it.

 _We'd do anything to survive._

He cursed himself for letting the princess get in his head, just like his father told him not to.

A gut wrenching pang hit him again, and this time he fell on his knees, then to a fetal position. A massive migraine took over him and for the first time in his life, Sokka wanted to disappear. For his own sake, he never wanted to let anyone make him feel this way again.

 _Princess one; Sokka one._


End file.
